- MITCH M. LIPA
The Bacolod City Water District intends to seek legal remedies over the decision of the Civil Service Commission to reinstate the 60 employees who were terminated after the joint venture agreement between the water district and PrimeWater Infrastructure Corporation was finalized.
In a press statement, the BACIWA management said the CSC decision is not yet final and executory as the management “intends to avail of appropriate legal remedies provided in the 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases”.
An August 20, 2021 CSC resolution, signed by CSC Western Visayas regional director Nelson Sarmiento, ordered that the terminated BACIWA workers be “reinstated without loss of seniority and shall be entitled to full pay from the time of their separation until the actual reinstatement.”
The affected employees called on the management to comply with the CSC order during a press conference Monday.
However, the management said that under Section 114 of the Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, “the decision of the CSC regional office shall be immediately executory after fifteen days from receipt thereof, unless a motion for consideration or a petition for review is reasonably filed with the commission, in which case the execution of the decision shall be held in abeyance.”
“The management stands firm with its decision to declare the positions of the former BACIWA employees redundant through BACIWA Resolution Number 172,” the statement from BACIWA said.
It added that the reorganization, which resulted in the termination of some employees, was supported by a BACIWA board resolution.
In May 2018, the Board of Directors of BACIWA created the Joint Venture Selection Committee (JVSC) for the unsolicited proposal submitted by the Metro Pacific Water Investments Corporation, Prime Water and the consortium of Manila Water Company Inc., Manila Water Philippine Venture Inc., and Tubig Pilipinas.
The management said that through a series of consultations and general assemblies with the BACIWA employees, it was made clear that they have the option to be absorbed by PrimeWater or avail of the early retirement benefits.
“Almost 400 employees chose to be either absorbed by PrimeWater or retire with benefits. The BACIWA employees’ union was a regular observer in all meetings on the JVSC,” the management added. – MML
